Interaction of Nano-sized Nutrients with Plant Biomass: A Review

Abstract

Plant lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable resource which provides wood, a major commodity for mankind, as well as molecules used as building blocks in chemical industry.

It is known that nutrition impacts plant biomass production, by acting, either directly or indirectly, on cell wall-associated processes. Well-documented are the roles of both macro- and micronutrients on plant growth and development. Nanotechnology has given a new impetus to agriculture: several studies have indeed published the effects of nano-sized nutrients/nanoparticles on plants. We here review the published literature on the effects of nano-sized nutrients on plants, by adopting, when documented, a cell wall perspective, and we underline both the positive and negative aspects.